The marriage of math and art in 3D printing

Feb.6, 2014

Cool math concepts and 3D printing swirl together in new ways in the work of Paul Nylander – which ranges appearance from "lovely light vortex" to "nautical Buckminster Fuller tribute."

In his work, Nylander takes complex mathematical concepts and makes them visual and accessible – a lot like how computer graphics work to visualize code. Nylander, who is also known as "bugman123," is largely a self-taught artist, scientist, and programmer. Much of his formal education was in mechanical engineering, but in his art and design Nylander wants to share things that were hard for him to learn in the form of simple code and graphics that can often be use to make 3D printed objects. Nylander uses Mathematica, POV-Ray, and C++ to create most of his math art – which are objects that dazzle both the eye and the mathematical imagination.

This Loxodrome Sconce light uses what's known in mathspeak as "stereographic projection" to make these lovely light swirls. It creates a double spiral by applying a light projection from one side of a loxodrome to a wall on the other side. The 8 inch model shown below received rave reviews at the 3D printer World Expo last week in Burbank, California.

In his Geodesic Spheres, Nylander mixes 3D printing and the concept of geodesic domes to produce some amazing, hand-held, nautical spacey balls. A geodesic sphere is basically a network of circles (hence the "geodesic") which form the surface shell of a ball-shaped structure – think Spaceship Earth at Disney World.

Nylander's Geodesic Spheres use a network of knots in their surface latticework. Although they're not recommended for kids, these math balls are durable, bouncy, and LEDs can be placed inside to add another dimension to these intricate balls.

Nylander's another design, a knotted Gears contains 92 gears that are tired together like chain links into one big knot. All the gears are engaged and they can rotate. The only possible way to create it is via 3D printing. The model included an internal light source for added effect. Unfortunately, the model is not available for purchase yet, but Nylander says it could be available for purchase in a few weeks.

The knotty Geodesic Domes of Paul Nylander are available through the Shapeways site for between 6.73 and 11.18 euros with diameters ranging between around 2.5 and 5.5 cm. The domes are 3D printed in white nylon plastic with a matte finish and a slightly grainy feel.

The 3D printed Math Roses of Paul Nylander were designed based on a plot of a single, continuous, parametric math equation. Nylander got the idea for the rose while working on a visualization of a spiraling spin-lattice relaxation for a physics experiment involving a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer.

So if your still looking for a unique and scientifically sound way to express your love this Valentine's day, consider heading over to Shapeways to pick up a gift oozing with 3D printed mathematical greatness.